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Style and Content in Specific Subject Areas

 

English

1.     Two common and effective topics for literary research papers are character analysis (focusing on a character’s personality traits, motivations, and overall role or significance in a work of literature) and thematic analysis (focusing on a specific theme developed in a work of literature through literary elements such as character, structure, language, imagery, etc.).

 

2.     Literary research papers should not include plot summary. The paper should be written with the understanding that your audience knows the content of the work discussed. As characters are introduced, you can orient the audience by briefly identifying the character with an appositive phrase.

 

3.     Literary analysis papers are traditionally written in present tense (“literary present”) as though the action of the work discussed is taking place as the author analyzes it. You should use present and present perfect tense for your own analysis in the essay. Because most literary criticism is written in present tense, the inclusion of secondary source quotes does not usually pose a problem in composing the paper. Novels are traditionally written in past tense, however, so the blending of primary source quotes into the paper will require special attention. See the discussion of quote techniques for suggestions.

 

4.     The basic assumption in a literary analysis paper is that the you have read and carefully analyzed the literature being discussed. Your own ideas should dominate the paper, and critics’ ideas should add depth and serve as support.  The paper should develop your thesis and not simply appear as a collection of critical quotes.

 

5.     Information from encyclopedias, study guides such as Cliff Notes and Monarch Notes, and on-line study guides are not generally considered legitimate literary research sources.  Before using such sources, consult with your teacher about their appropriateness.

 

6.     English papers are written in MLA format.

 

Science

1.     Scientific research papers traditionally follow the following format: abstract, introduction, materials and methods (in narrative rather than list form), results (including graphic and written forms), and references.

 

2.     Scientific papers traditionally follow APA or CSE guidelines instead of the MLA guidelines outlined in this booklet.  You should consult your science teacher and/or dianahacker.com about these alternative formats.

 

Social Studies/History

1.     History research papers are written in past tense.

 

2.     General historical facts need not be documented, but historians’ opinions must be.

 

3.     Statistics which are disputable should be presented as such and your sources cited.

 

4.     All directly quoted and paraphrased material must be clearly indicated and documented.

 

5.     The analysis of the role of an historical figure or the significance of an event requires research of different interpretations and the acknowledgment of multiple perspectives.

 

6.     Humanities papers follow MLA format. Social Sciences follow APA. History papers follow Chicago format. You should consult your social studies teacher and/or dianahacker.com about these alternative formats.

 

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